Lansdale Borough Council members unanimously approved two bids for the Lansdale Skatepark during Wednesday night’s business meeting, paving the way for construction to begin early next month.
The first bid, which is the service and incidentals contract, was awarded to Langhorne-based Fifth Pocket Skateparks in the amount of $369,800. The second bid, which covers sitework and everything around the skatepark, was awarded to Marino Corporation in the amount of $214,381.
“It's been quite the journey, but this is the end result this committee was certainly hoping for and anticipated when we realized the original bid package was not going to net us a financially feasible project,” said Mary Fuller, chairwoman of the Lansdale Parks and Rec Committee. “I'm grateful we were able to work with borough staff and our engineers to restructure the bid package and get us to this point.”
In both cases, the Lansdale Borough Parks and Rec Committee recommended the second-lowest bidder, based upon the borough solicitor’s recommendation.
In the case of the service and incidentals contract, the lowest bidder was actually Lehighton-based Jam Concrete Masonry at $306,995.50, but borough engineering consultant Chris Fazio stated that there were issues with the bid arriving late and incomplete.
“The reason why we are going with the second-lowest bidder is because the lowest bidder did make a submission, but it was substantially incorrect and was missing key information,” said Fazio, during the Lansdale Borough Parks and Rec Committee meeting on Oct. 2. “I had a feeling that [the lowest bid] wouldn’t be accepted, but I went to the borough solicitor just to be sure, and they said that we had to reject the bid.”
Representatives from Jam Concrete Masonry were on-hand for the committee meeting on Oct. 2, and argued that their bid should still be considered despite coming in late. The representatives added that they were contacted by someone from Fazio’s office after the bidding period to request more information, but ultimately, Fazio said they were unable to entertain the bid after the borough solicitor recommended against it.
“Believe me…I don’t want to leave $60,000 on the table,” said Fazio. “The good news is that, despite having to go with the second lowest bidder for each of the two, we’re still below our estimated budget.”
On the second bid, the lowest bidder was Lantech Enterprises at $184,940, but the bid was rejected because it was actually for a completely different project, unrelated to the skatepark, according to Fazio.
The total projected cost for the skatepark will be approximately $585,000, which is $115,000 below the estimated budget of $700,000 from earlier this year. Funding for the project comes way of a $220,000 grant, a $220,000 match from the Lansdale Parking Authority and $145,000 from an existing appropriation from the borough’s capital projects budget earmarked to make up any difference.
With the bids now awarded, the project can now move forward after nearly three years of planning and failed bidding periods. The first bidding period resulted in no submissions, which officials attributed to too short of an initial timeline. Though the second round of bidding produced multiple submissions, all of the bidders were from the west coast and came in well above the established budget, which lead to all of the bids being rejected and the projected being re-engineered in order to attract local bidders.
Fuller said that Marino Corporation is expected to begin work at the site on Fourth Street as early as Nov. 1, with a completion date set for Spring 2020.
“I'd like to thank my fellow council members for voting to award the skate park bid package tonight, but I also would like to thank those who have been involved in this process since I brought this project to the table in 2010,” said Fuller. “That includes the skateboard community who showed up en masse to reiterate how important this amenity is to Lansdale, as well as the general community members who also understand its usefulness and importance. I firmly believe once this park is built and is in use, even more people in the neighborhoods will see its value.”
See also:
Revamped Lansdale Skate Park Bid Package Readied For Council
Parks And Rec Committee Recommends Re-Engineering Of Lansdale Skatepark Project
Skate Park Bids Rejected By Lansdale Parks And Rec Committee
Officials Break Ground at White’s Road Rain Garden
Workforce Shortages, Poor Pay And Benefits Cited As Primary Concerns At Lansdale Post Office
